Bookish Rambling: Five Highly Anticipated Books I Can’t Wait to Read

~ Janel (Keeper of Pages)

Why not make it a trilogy – we’ve looked at five highly anticipated books I forgot to read and five highly anticipated books I chose not to read, so it’s only right, we look at five highly anticipated books I can’t wait to read. It’s all subjective, so while these are highly anticipated for me, they may not even be on your radar, but I hope we match up on at least one book.

#1 Deep Blue Trouble by Steph Broadribb

Deep Blue Trouble (Lori Anderson) by [Broadribb, Steph]

Deep Blue Trouble is the second book in the Lori Anderson series, it follows Deep Down Dead. The adrenaline rush that was DDD has me so excited to join Lori on her next adventure. The Lori Anderson short story, The Last Resort, was good, and sated my need for a little while, but I’m ready for another full length novel!

“Single-mother Florida bounty hunter Lori Anderson’s got an ocean of trouble on her hands. Her daughter Dakota is safe, but her cancer is threatening a comeback, and Lori needs JT – Dakota’s daddy and the man who taught Lori everything – alive and kicking. Problem is, he’s behind bars, and heading for death row. Desperate to save him, Lori does a deal, taking on off-the-books job from shady FBI agent Alex Monroe. Bring back on-the-run felon, Gibson ‘The Fish’ Fletcher, and JT walks free. Following Fletcher from Florida to California, Lori teams up with local bounty hunter Dez McGregor and his team. But Dez works very differently to Lori, and the tension between them threatens to put the whole job in danger. With Monroe pressuring Lori for results, the clock ticking on JT’s life, and nothing about the Fletcher case adding up, Lori’s hitting walls at every turn. But this is one job she’s got to get right, or she’ll lose everything…”

The kindle version comes sooner, but I’m waiting for the paperback, scheduled for publication in January 2018, because I just know already, this book is worthy of a space on the shelf.

#2 Force of Nature by Jane Harper

After reading and loving The Dry back in May, I can’t wait to [fictionally] travel back to Australia and join Aaron Falk in his next adventure.

“FIVE WENT OUT. FOUR CAME BACK…

Is Alice here? Did she make it? Is she safe? In the chaos, in the night, it was impossible to say which of the four had asked after Alice’s welfare. Later, when everything got worse, each would insist it had been them.

Five women reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking along the muddy track. Only four come out the other side.

The hike through the rugged landscape is meant to take the office colleagues out of their air-conditioned comfort zone and teach resilience and team building. At least that is what the corporate retreat website advertises.

Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a particularly keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing bushwalker. Alice Russell is the whistleblower in his latest case – and Alice knew secrets. About the company she worked for and the people she worked with.

Far from the hike encouraging teamwork, the women tell Falk a tale of suspicion, violence and disintegrating trust. And as he delves into the disappearance, it seems some dangers may run far deeper than anyone knew.”

Set for publication in February 2018, you can be certain, I’ll be reading this one!

#3 Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

Killman Creek (Stillhouse Lake Series Book 2) by [Caine, Rachel]

After the cliffhanger ending of Stillhouse Lake, it’s a given I’ll be reading Killman Creek. I’m not going to include the full blurb below as it will spoil the cliffhanger ending of Stillhouse Lake, so if you haven’t read it yet and plan to, avoid the full synopsis of this one.

“Every time Gwen closed her eyes, she saw him in her nightmares. Now her eyes are open, and he’s not going away.

Gwen Proctor won the battle to save her kids from her ex-husband, serial killer Melvin Royal, and his league of psychotic accomplices. But the war isn’t over.“

Killman Creek releases in December so not long to wait all, although I’m thinking of making an executive decision and making this Criminally Good Book Club’s January book as we read Stillhouse Lake together last month.

#4 Hunted by G X Todd

Hunted: (The Voices Book 2) by [Todd, G X]

Hunted is book two in The Voices series, it follows Defender in this post-apocalyptic series, where some people hear voices and others don’t – the battle for good and evil rages on!

“The birds are flying. The birds are flocking. The birds know where to find her.

One man is driven by a Voice that isn’t his. It’s killing his sanity and wrestling with it over and over like a jackal with a bone. He has one goal.

To find the girl with a Voice like his own. She has no one to defend her now. The hunt is on.

But in an inn by the sea, a boy with no tongue and no Voice gathers his warriors. Albus must find Lacey . . . before the Other does. And finish the work his sister Ruby began.”

Scheduled for publication in May 2018, one is very excited! And that gives you plenty of time to read Defender!

#5 Kill the Angel by Sandrone Dazieri

I loved the complex mystery featured in book one, Kill the Father, and I’m hoping for another in book two. So I shall definitely be journeying to Rome to join Caselli and Dante in Kill the Angel.

“In Rome, a high-speed train hurtles into the city’s main station with a carriage full of dead bodies, the macabre discovery of which falls to Deputy Police Commissioner Colomba Caselli. Subsequently, the police receive a claim of responsibility and the threat of more murders to come. But neither Caselli nor her eccentrically brilliant ally, Dante Torre, are yet ready to buy the terrorist link.

As the two maverick investigators puncture the facade of what the perpetrator wants everyone to believe, they come close to dying several times.

Not for the first time, Dante’s bizarre childhood, during which he was kept confined for years in a concrete silo, enables him to see what others miss, and in this case, to connect with a kindred spirit of sorts, a woman named Giltine who experienced an equally bizarre childhood from which she emerged damaged, lethal, and full of murderous intent.

Adding to Giltine’s eerie fierceness is that, as the victim of a rare mental illness, she believes she’s already dead. She’s unacquainted with fear. And that makes her the most formidable foe Colomba and Dante have faced yet.

As the story climaxes, the duo finds themselves utterly on their own, on the outs with law enforcement and the only ones with a chance to make sure the waters of Venice don’t turn red with blood.”

Now, I’ve seen conflicting releases dates for this one, either February or May, someone please clarify! (I’m hoping February.)

***

I’m fascinated by the psychology behind book buying and selling. All the highly anticipated books mentioned in this post are the second in their respective series, so regardless of the marketing push they get, I’ll be reading them. Yet, in the last post about highly anticipated books I chose not to read, they were all standalone novels; so do standalone novels need a bigger marketing push because you haven’t had a chance to get to know the characters already or is it just easier to market a standalone novel because there is no risk of spoiling the previous book? Or are standalone novels just more popular, thus worth investing more in marketing-wise?

I’d love to hear what you think, and also what highly anticipated books you’re waiting for?

Published by Janel (Keeper of Pages)

Blogging about books and other bookish ramblings

41 thoughts on “Bookish Rambling: Five Highly Anticipated Books I Can’t Wait to Read”

  2. Well yes I think sequels ride on the success of the first one, it makes sense to me… but it works the other way around too as there are authors I won’t read any more after reading a first novel.. I had Kill The Father in my hands and I didn’t buy it :-(. I hope you get them all, happy reading!

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    1. I agree, but I think sequels should still get an equal push because it’s so hard to keep track of all the different release dates, lol!

      Are you considering reading Kill the Father but just didn’t feel like buying it that day, or has something put you off it?

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  3. I have The Force of Nature waiting on my Kindle. I’m hoping to squeeze it in next week. The wait is killing me! I still have to read Stillhouse Lake too! Ugh!

    Hm, I’m not sure about the marketing. Some of my most anticipated books this year were stand-alones but maybe since they were by Karin Slaughter, Sharon Bolton and Stuart MacBride, they don’t count as they’re already quite high profile?

    And like Inge says, there are authors I won’t read again if the first book wasn’t my cup of tea. I’m not that easily swayed by marketing.

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    1. How do you have a copy of Force of Nature already 😤 what God’s did you betrayal to get that!?!?!

      That’s a good point about how high profiled the author, maybe based on their rep they’re guaranteed success! I’ve only read one book by Slaughter and one by Bolton and they were both great!

      I’m more swayed by everyone reviewing the same book but I am influenced by marketing, although I’m trying to ignore it. But I if I see 10 reviews of the same book on my WP feed, FOMO kicks in and I want to read it!

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      2. Well would you look at that, I learn something new every day!!! 🙈😂😂 however, I’m not paying that much for an ebook! I cannot believe the ebook is out already, and not a word from the marketing team 😂😂😂

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  5. Oo this is a fab post! I recently read The Dry but wasn’t overly thrilled by it, but I do want to read the second Falk novel because Harper’s writing is fantastic and maybe if I read the second book quickly after it’s published, I won’t be influenced by the hype and expect something more from the story.

    I might have to take this blog idea if that’s ok? 😏 I have lots of books I’m looking forward to!

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    1. Lol, go for it! You don’t even have to ask, I always approve of spreading the book love! 😂

      I loved The Dry but I’m expecting Force of Nature to be an entirely different read, more police procedural in nature.

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  8. I think I was in the minority of not loving The Dry! Deep Blue Trouble does look good. I am hoping to read John Marrs new novel. I loved The One.

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    1. I bought The One, after hearing how good it is, yet I still haven’t read it 🙈 the expectation is so high, it’s has to blow my mind, haha!!

      Didn’t love it, so won’t be reading Force of Nature??

      Have you read Deep Down Dead??

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      1. I think I’m skipping Force of Nature (for now)! Haven’t read Deep Down…you have me intrigued though! The One is going to shock you! Read it!

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      1. I think Deep Down Dead has fallen into my kindle purgatory😱**will dig it out and bring it to the front of my library:) I’ve already started the greasing of palms for that book process…and by greasing I mean begging by email😂My pleas have been passed along to the publisher (hopefully)…I’m really hoping they take pity on me and send me the book!! I’ll let you know

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      2. I dread to think how many books I have in kindle purgatory, at the forefront is all my NG copies 😂 I started with a rule of only 3 at a time, and now I have 10 🙈😂

        I hope u get a copy, although I’ll be insanely jealous if you do!

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  11. I still need to read Deep Down Dead! Now even more so, I didn’t realize a sequel was on its way.
    Stillhouse Lake, yet another that I need to read. At least I did know about that sequel 🙂
    Yup yup…looking forward to Force of Nature too!!

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  12. You’ve got some great books listed here! I’m really looking forward to Force of Nature (which I was lucky enough to be sent a proof of!), Hunted and Kill the Angel which, according to Amazon, is due for publication in April! 😀

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